1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an electrolytic metal foil, and more particularly to an apparatus for manufacturing an electrolytic metal foil, which may increase an electroplating area in making a metal foil using an electrolytic manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
A copper foil, a kind of electrolytic metal foil, is a basic element used for a printed circuit board (PCB) of electronic parts, and it is generally made using electrolysis. The copper foil made by electrolysis has good purity of electroplated substances though using a cheap electrolyte, and gives uniform thickness over a wide area.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional electrolytic metal foil manufacturing device. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional electrolytic metal foil manufacturing device includes an electrolytic cell 10 containing electrolyte 11, a cathode drum 20 partially soaked in the electrolytic cell 10, and an anode unit 50 installed around the cathode drum 20 with a space therefrom. The anode unit 50 has a slit 51 so that the electrolyte 11 is supplied to the spaced area between the anode unit 50 and the cathode drum 20 through the slit 51. The conventional electrolytic metal foil manufacturing device is connected to a power source 1. In more detail, the cathode drum 20 is connected to a negative pole of the power source 1, and the anode unit 50 is connected to a positive pole of the power source 1.
With the cathode drum 20 and the anode unit 50 being connected to the power source 1 as mentioned above, if the device starts operation, the cathode drum 20 rotates at a constant speed, and metal ions in the electrolyte 11 is electroplated on the cathode drum 20 soaked in the electrolyte 11. Electroplated substances 2 formed as mentioned above are moved upward above the surface of the electrolyte along with the rotation of the cathode drum 20. After that, the electroplated substances 2 are separated from the cathode drum 20 by means of a separating roll 60, and taken up by a take-up drum 70 installed out of the electrolytic cell 10 to complete an electrolytic metal foil 3.
In the conventional electrolytic metal foil manufacturing device, in order to increase a production rate of electrolytic metal foils, it may be considered that an electroplating amount should be increased by raising the density of current applied to the electrolytic metal foil manufacturing device, or that an electroplating area of the cathode drum 20 is enlarged to increase an electroplating rate. However, it is impossible to increase the density of current without a limit due to the structure of the device, and also a copper foil made by applying a high density of current has inferior quality. Thus, the way of enlarging an electroplating area of the cathode drum 20 should be considered. However, if a diameter of the cathode drum 20 is increased to enlarge the electroplating area of the cathode drum 20, the entire size of the electrolytic metal foil manufacturing device is increased too much, thereby deteriorating the efficiency of space utilization, and also the cost of the device is increased.